


Breaking the Rules

by edibna



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Alyssa just doesn't want to get fired, And his dad side too, Fluff, Gen, Iron Dad, Or maybe IW doesn't exist, Set before IW, Tony Stark through others eyes, Tony is wondering why everyone hates him, can be a five times fic if you squint, peter is an angel, tony stark is just trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 07:55:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edibna/pseuds/edibna
Summary: Everyone who works at Stark Industries knows the rules to dealing with Tony Stark himself, and most hope to never meet him in person, unless they accedentally break those rules. College interns are on an even thinner ice. They can't mess anything up if they ever meet Mr. Stark, or else their internship is over.So, why does Peter Parker keep breaking all of the rules, and why does Mr. Stark never seem mad?





	Breaking the Rules

**Author's Note:**

> I am back! After a long break from writing, i finally found some inspiration (we can all thank the Endgame trailer for that). This was just something simple I figured everyone would enjoy. It's sort of a view from someone who doesn't know Tony, and how one goes about dealing with that.

Every intern - hell, every employee at Stark Industries knew the rules about Tony Stark. All new employees were printed out a physical packet explaining what to do if anyone ever ran into the man himself, which, to be fair, was extremely rare. Most people only ran into Mr. Stark once or twice in their entire careers and even then, the man was distant, and fast paced. 

Alyssa, a college intern herself, hoped she never ran into Tony Stark at any point in her year long internship. She was always an idiot when she was nervous, and though she was smart, she was not good at remembering rules in the moment. If she did ever run into Mr. Stark, she would probably make a fool of herself the moment she met him and get fired from her internship. 

The rumor was that every since Mr. Stark stopped partying and became a part of the Avengers, he was extremely strict on everyone around him. His fiancee, Pepper, was the same way, and everyone who ran into them were supposed to be nothing but respectful, especially around Mr. Stark. 

Alyssa knew the main points. 

One, never joke with him, because he was not the joking kind of man. Two, never touch him, or his expensive clothes. Three, never mention Captain America around him, or any of the Avengers who went rogue, even if they had made up recently. Four, never mess any labs, or the work in them, up. Everything was top of the line, and if there was anything damaged, the person responsible would be fired. The fifth rule was arguably most important and it was the one Alyssa struggled with the most. Never, under any circumstances, hand Tony Stark anything. One time a new director did, and he was fired the very next day. 

However, those points were hard to remember when doing other work. So, Alyssa just hoped she never ran into Tony Stark. It was just easier that way. 

But Alyssa was not that lucky. In fact, she never was. So one day, she was walking down the hall of the Research and Development department, and reading her notes. She glanced up for only a moment to see Mr. Stark walking with purpose in her direction. With only a moments notice, she ducked into the women’s bathroom with a flaming face, hoping he did not see her. 

“What do you mean it’s going to take three weeks to fix?” Mr. Stark was saying angrily into his ear piece. “It didn’t take that long to tear up!” 

There was a pause, and Alyssa noticed Mr. Stark has paused in front of where she was to look out of the window. 

“Pep, the kid and I can’t work in the Compound. It’s too far for him to drive three times a week. Plus, it cuts into our work time.” 

Alyssa should really leave. This seemed to be private conversation. 

“The labs at SI aren’t good enough and you know it. My lab is ten time bigger than these!” 

There was another pause. 

“Fine, fine. I guess I’ll deal. Which lab has most of the equipment the kid and I use on a daily basis?” 

Now Alyssa was interested. He was going to work at an SI lab? She was going to have to make a mental note to not to be anywhere near that lab for the next three weeks. 

“Lab 216?” Mr. Stark repeated. “Fine, we’ll use that. I’ll call the kid to make sure he knows.” 

And then Mr. Stark was gone. Alyssa came out from the bathroom with wide eyes and a fast beating heart. Lab 216 was the lab she used on a daily basis, and now Mr. Stark was going to be there. Alyssa could have died in the moment, but instead, she took her lunch break to find her ‘Dealing with Mr. Stark’ packet and studied up before she would inevitably see him again. 

This was her worst nightmare, and if her internship survived all of this, then she was going to be seriously shocked. 

-

“Wait, what?” Another intern, Thomas said, his mouth full of food. It was the next day, and everyone was sitting around a table for lunch. Alyssa hadn’t seen Mr. Stark yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time, with how her boss directed her to get the lab cleaned up as soon as she got in for the day. 

“Tony Stark is going to be using my lab.” Alyssa said, “For three weeks.” 

“Oh no.” Another intern, Celine said, putting her food down. “You are dead.” 

“Even my boss is freaking out right now.” Alyssa said, “She literally wants everything spotless by tomorrow, which means he’s going to be there tomorrow.” 

“You have your packet, right?” Marcus, the older intern, asked, “Because I can give you mine.” 

“Thanks, but I have mine, and I studied it all night to try to be ready for Mr. Stark. Guys, what if I lose my internship?” 

“Just be cool.” Thomas said, “Maybe he isn’t that strict.” 

Alyssa, Celine and Marcus all rolled their eyes. There was no way that was true, and there was no way Alyssa was going to get off easy from this one. 

They all chatted about Mr. Stark for awhile, before Alyssa was due back in her lab. She walked in her her head down, worried about tomorrow, but paused when she saw a kid sitting in her lab. 

This kid was definitely between fourteen and fifteen years old, and was doing some kind of homework on the lab table in the back. Alyssa’s jaw dropped. 

“How did you get here?” Alyssa said, “Only Level-3 clearance can get to this lab.” 

The kid looked up with wide, brown, doe eyes. “Oh, hi! I’m Peter Parker. I’m a high school intern. Mr. Stark told me to meet him here today. This is lab 216, right? Because if it’s not F.R.I.D.A.Y. totally told me wrong.” 

Alyssa’s brain short circuited. She knew for a fact that there were no high school interns, and no one in the lab even had access to the A.I. Mr. Stark used but him and Ms. Potts. 

“Wait, you’re an intern? We don’t have high school interns.” 

The kid’s eyes widened, “Uh, I’m a personal intern of Mr. Stark’s?” 

“Mr. Stark has a personal intern?” Alyssa said. Oh God, the poor kid… “And he’s in high school?”

“Uh…” The kid said, looking nervous.

“I need to go clear this with my director.” Alyssa said, shaking her head. She turned to go talk to her director, but was shocked to see Tony Stark walking into the doorway, eating something out of a package. Alyssa froze in place. He wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow!

“Hey, kid.” Mr. Stark said, before he saw Alyssa. He opened his mouth to say something but Alyssa dropped all of her papers that were in her hand during lunch onto the floor. “Okay…” Mr. Stark said she she quickly knelt down to fix her mess.

“Oh, let me help you!” Peter said, he shuffled around to help Alyssa, whose face was on fire. Her internship was toast.

“I am so sorry.” Alyssa said. “I’m just, uh, clumsy.” 

“I can be too.” Peter said, “Don’t worry about it.” 

They finished grabbing the papers and stood up. Alyssa turned to Mr. Stark to apologize again but he was looking at a packet of paper. Once Alyssa saw what it was, she wanted to sink into the floor. 

Mr. Stark had found her packet on how to act around him. She was literally going to die. Or worse, fired.

“What’s that, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, walking around to look at it. Alyssa wished she could sink into the floor. 

“This is a list of how to act around me.” Mr. Stark said. “It says I am very strict boss.” 

“What?” Peter asked. Mr. Stark turned to the last page before, he laughed. 

“This was written by Happy Hogan.” 

Peter took a look and laughed too. “He must have been mad at you that day, huh?” 

“He’s mad at me every day. Although, I must admit, this is a good joke.” 

Alyssa blinked. Rule number one was not to joke with Mr. Stark. 

“I mean, you are a slave driver.” Peter said, his tone teasing. Alyssa looked at him with wide eyes. 

“Hey, that’s rude, kid.” 

“Oh, that’s right. I need to respect my elders.” 

Mr. Stark smacked the kid on the head with the packet before walking to the back of the lab with a smile on his face. Alyssa could only blink in shock as she watched. 

“Alyssa!” The voice of her director yelled and Alyssa turned to the door with wide eyes. “Have you been checking you email? Your assignment is in the copy room today. You’re not supposed to be here!” 

“Oh,” Alyssa said, “Sorry.” 

“I am so sorry, Mr. Stark.” Her director said to the man, “I assure you she won’t bother you again.” 

“No, it was fine.” Mr. Stark said, sitting next to Peter. “She wasn’t a bother. In fact, this was very educational.” 

Alyssa was shuffled out of the room, but she looked at Mr. Stark as she left. He was smiling and didn't seem upset at all. However, as Alyssa was halfway to the copy room, her director said, “You need to be careful around him. He may not be the CEO anymore, but he has way more power than either of us do. One wrong move and we’re both fired.” 

Alyssa nodded mutely, hoping she hadn’t already sealed her fate. 

“Good, now make some copies for the rest of the day. I have go make sure everything for Mr. Stark is accommodated for.” 

Her director rushed off and Alyssa watched her go. She was confused about what had just happened, because Mr. Stark actually seemed nice. 

But then again, she could have just caught him on a good day. Maybe the next time she saw him, he wouldn’t be so forgiving. So, Alyssa promised herself she was going to get it together, and went to make copies for the rest of the day.

-

Alyssa didn’t hear anything else about Mr. Stark, but she could tell that her director was incredibly stressed just by looking at her. Alyssa had been designated to copy duty for a few days now, and while it was boring, she was grateful to be away from all of the drama of being around one of the most famous people in the world. 

The other interns had run into him once or twice, and all of them said he seemed to be in a good mood, but then again, they had followed all of the rules given, so they weren’t in any trouble. Alyssa herself hadn’t heard anything about her incident with him before, so she figured she was in the clear.

Alyssa had resigned herself to being in the copy room for the next three weeks, and when she walked in, she put her backpack down on the desk before jumping when she saw Mr. Stark himself trying to enter something into the copier. Peter was sitting criss crossed on the table where Alyssa’s stuff laid. 

“Oh, hi!” Peter said, smiling and waving at Alyssa. She gave him a nervous smile back.

“Why is F.R.I.D.A.Y. not integrated into this building?” Mr. Stark was saying, his voice tense. Alyssa wasn’t sure if she needed to answer, but luckily, Peter seemed to have it covered. 

“Because you don’t want people messing with your A.I.” 

“But I need this copier to work!” 

“It can’t be rocket science, Mr. Stark.” Peter said, hopping down. 

“I can do rocket science, kid, but this… this is a whole other thing.” 

Peter walked up next to Mr. Stark and looked at the machine. 

“It says it has a jam.” 

“I am going to take this stupid thing apart and re-make it, I swear-”

“No, no!” Peter said, grabbing Mr. Stark’s shoulders. Alyssa blinked at the action, knowing that the genius hated being touched, especially when he was wearing a nice suit. “Let me look at it.” 

“Kid, I seriously doubt you know how to work a copy machine-” 

“Found it!” Peter said, removing the jam from the paper bin. 

“What?” Mr. Stark said, “You’re upstaging me, kid. This is illegal punishable by death.” 

Peter laughed but didn’t seem phased. “Hey, um, Miss?” He asked, turning to Alyssa, who blinked in shock. 

“Yes?” 

“This needs a code. Do you know what it is?” 

“Yeah, it’s 5163.” Alyssa said. 

“Hey, do you work in here?” Mr. Stark asked her. 

“Um, not usually, but here lately I have been since you guys have been working in the lab. I can make copies for you if you like.” 

“Wait, wait, what do you normally do in that lab?” 

“Chemical compositions mostly.” Alyssa answered. “The latest project was trying to re-create this, um, new superheroes webs. His name is Spider-Man, but I doubt you’ve heard of him.” 

Peter turned around with wide eyes, and Mr. Stark looked at her pensively. 

“Wait, is this a personal project or for the company?” 

“Uh, my director gave it to me to work on. I think she thinks it’s impossible, but it could be useful to the company if we can get it to work.” 

Mr. Stark seemed confused, “Well, that would be why that lab had everything we needed. But I gotta tell you, uh…” He trailed off, obviously looking for a name.

“Alyssa.” 

“Alyssa, I think this is a waste of your time. I thought these labs were working on some sort of fire prevention technique… Pepper told me.” 

“Yeah, they are, but I was assigned pretty much to work by myself. I’m an intern, and since I don’t have a degree, I’m not allowed to work on anything really official.” 

“What?” Mr. Stark said, and he turned to Peter, “Can you believe this?”

Peter shrugged. 

“Look, Alyssa, I gotta talk to your boss.” Mr. Stark said, “Pete, go help her with the web formula. I’m sure you can get it finished.” 

“Sure, Mr. Stark!” 

And he was gone. Alyssa turned to Peter with wide eyes. 

“Oh no, did I upset him?” 

“What?” Peter asked, “No, definitely not. I think he’s more upset you were working on something separately. Hands on experience is the whole point of this, right?” 

“So, you’re really his high school intern? I wasn’t even aware he took on high schoolers.” 

“Uh, yeah, he doesn’t. I was a special case. Do you want my help with the web fluid?” 

Alyssa shrugged, “Sure, but there is no way you’re going to be able to crack it.”

Peter shrugged and they walked to Alyssa’s normal lab. It was messier than usual, but she decided it was better not to worry about it, and just get her web formula out. 

“Here is what I have so far.” 

“Oh, this is actually pretty good.” Peter said, “But this looks like it would dissolve right when you mixed it.” 

“It does. I feel like the ingredients are right but I can’t figure out the right order.” 

“Put the acids in last.” Peter said. 

Alyssa blinked. “Why?” 

“Well, the acids are breaking down your composition at first when you put them in there alone. If you give them a good binder, which you do have here, it should mix to make a web fluid… Or at least, I think.” 

Alyssa wrote down what he was saying. “I’ll give it a shot.” She walked over to where her chemicals were stored and mixed it. Every now and then he would stop her and tell her what to mix next, which she hesitantly did. Eventually, she had an almost perfect web fluid. 

“How did you…” Alyssa said, still playing with the mixture. 

“Uh, Mr. Stark and I have been working on it before? He’s trying to figure out Spider-Man too.” 

“And you’re helping him?”

“Yeah, this is kind of my strong suit.” 

Alyssa looked at the fluid, suddenly understanding why Mr. Stark had taken this kid under his wing. He was a genius. 

“Well, thanks.” 

“No problem, maybe your boss will like it!” 

Alyssa paused, unsure if she should even take credit for it, when technically she hadn’t figured it out. But then her director was back into the room, barking for her to get in the lab with the other techs. As she left, Mr. Stark walked back into the room, looking pleased with herself, but Alyssa was too overwhelmed to fully take in what it meant. 

Only when she was falling asleep did she realize she had finally got to work on something real at SI, and it had to do with Mr. Stark. She fell asleep wondering if what she had been told about the man was true, or if it had all been rumors.

-

Nothing else happened over the next few days. In fact, Alyssa was so busy that she had almost forgotten about the fact that Mr. Stark was using her lab with the strange Peter Parker for the next week and a half. 

But then one day, she realized her new team needed a chemical that could only be found in her old lab, so she walked back to the lab, hoping Mr. Stark was gone. Instead, she heard something she probably had no business hearing. 

“So, you’re still upset about it?” Peter asked, his voice soft. “About Captain America?” 

Alyssa paused. She knew this was a bad thing, Peter mentioning the old team, but then again the rules didn’t seem to apply to the kid somehow, so she stayed silent. They hadn’t even noticed she was there.

“Oh course I am, kid. Them being back doesn’t make it any different, but what’s in the past is in the past.” Tony sighed. 

“I saw the footage.” Peter said, “Accidentally... about what happened there.” 

“You did?” 

“Yeah...I’m sorry I saw it. I really didn’t mean to.” 

“I was in the wrong, huh, kid?” 

“What?” Peter said, “I don’t think you were in the wrong. They lied to you… if it had been Uncle Ben… I would have done the same thing.” 

“Kid, it wasn’t right of me to attack them-” 

“Maybe not, but it wasn’t right of them to keep secrets. You guys were supposed to be friends, and a team. Plus, they needed to sign the accords.” 

“You know you’ll probably have to sign them too, kid. If you ever become an Avenger.” 

There was a pause, and it gave a time for Alyssa to think about what she had just heard. Why would Peter have to sign the Accords, unless….

Oh… the web fluid, the closeness to Tony Stark. 

That kid was Spider-Man. 

Alyssa knew she needed to leave, but she couldn’t move. She was rooted to the spot. 

“I know.” Peter said, “May asked me about it. And I think a part of me knew it, that I would have to sign eventually.” 

“I shouldn’t have brought you into this life.” 

“Then I shouldn’t have joined. I don’t know everything about the Accords, but I know they were needed. And if that applies to me, then I have to sign them.” 

“What about your secret identity?”

“I guess we’ll have to work that out, huh?” 

Alyssa finally left the conversation, her head reeling. She walked almost in a trance-like state, until she was back with her coworkers. When she got back, they all asked her where the chemical was that she needed, but Alyssa lied and said they were out. 

It seemed like the best option.

-

“I think that kid is his son.” Thomas said at the lunch table the next day. Alyssa paused while eating her food. If she didn’t know what she knew, then it would, of course, make sense. But Alyssa knew more than she probably should have, and while there was a desperate part of her that wanted to shout to the world what she had overheard, another part of her knew she would be exposing a child to a world he was not ready for. 

“You mean the little intern?” Celine asked, “I mean, it would make sense. There is no way Tony Stark would take on a high school intern, personally, no less.” 

“Right?” Marcus replied, “I met the kid myself, and he’s smart, but just not… if anything one of us should be Tony Stark’s personal assistant.” 

Alyssa knew what the kid was capable of, and she had seen what Spider-Man was capable of. She knew Peter was justified, so she spoke up and said, “We don’t know the whole situation.” 

“Exactly, which is why the kid is probably his.” Thomas said. 

“But can Tony Stark keep a secret that long? And if that kid is fourteen or fifteen… he would have been alive when his dad was kidnapped in Afghanistan.” Marcus asked.

“Maybe that’s why he’s so attached now.” Celine said. 

“I don’t think the kid is that attached…” Alyssa said. 

“Oh no, he follows Mr. Stark everywhere.” Thomas said, “And even calls him by his last name.” 

“Wait, what if the kid doesn’t know Tony Stark is his dad?” Thomas asked. 

Alyssa abruptly stood up. All the gossip was making her uneasy, and her lunch break was almost over. So, she excused herself and got back to work. She was deep in her own thoughts when she walked by the lab Mr. Stark and Peter worked at, but there was a loud explosion that resounded through the room. 

Alyssa jumped and went to make sure they were okay. What she saw was Tony Stark coughing and laughing, both at the same time, and Peter on the ceiling. Neither of them had noticed her. 

The lab was a mess. It was probably going to cost so much money to fix, but Mr Stark was laughing, and Peter was saying, “I didn’t know it would do that!” 

“It’s no problem, kid. Man I have messed up way more labs than this. And get down off of the ceiling before someone sees you.” 

“Sorry,” Peter said, hopping down onto the ground. “Force of habit.” 

“You’re terrible at keeping secrets.” 

Alyssa ducked out of the room, about to leave them to it, but a part of her stopped and then rounded the corner again, clearing her throat. Both Mr. Stark and Peter looked at her. 

“Uh, need me to call clean up?” Alyssa asked. “I was just walking by and I smelled… this.” 

“Nah, I’ll get DUM-E to do it. It shouldn't be too hard to get him here.” Mr. Stark said. Alyssa nodded, even though she had no idea what they were referencing. 

“Oh, wait, Alyssa!” Peter called, as Alyssa was turning to leave. She turned back curiously. “I hope you like your new assignment!” 

Alyssa smiled. “I love it. Thank you for talking to my director, Mr. Stark.” 

“No problem, kid.” And Alyssa left the lab with the smile still on her face. 

Maybe Tony Stark wasn’t so bad at all.

-

Alyssa had been in a good mood for the rest of the time that Mr. Stark and Peter were going to be working. She was tired of the rumors, but her new position kept her too busy to be too worried about it, and by the time that Alyssa knew they would be leaving, she was wondering if she should say goodbye to Peter and Mr. Stark. 

As her day ended, and it was late enough for Peter to arrive, she walked to the lab with mild curiosity to see if they were even there. Alyssa was not surprised that Peter was running around the lab excitedly, but she was interested in the fact that he seemed to be handing chemicals to Mr. Stark. 

Alyssa remembered rule number five, which was arguably the most important rule, but seeing Peter break another rule of Mr. Stark’s was something she considered normal and no longer surprising. 

“Are you guys heading out?” Alyssa asked, walking into the room. 

“Hi, Alyssa!” Peter said. 

“Yeah, my personal lab is finally fixed, so we won’t be using this one. Maybe your new project will use this lab from now on.” Mr. Stark said, from behind a pile of different chemicals. 

“Sorry, we’re stealing everything.” Peter said. “Mr. Stark’s lab is unstocked.” 

“I told you we could just re-order everything, but no, you don’t want to wait.” 

“Waiting is for suckers!” 

“That’s my kid.” Mr. Stark said. 

“Well, have fun you two. It was awesome having you here.” 

“I’m sure you just say that because I’m your boss.” Mr. Stark said, but he was smiling so Alyssa hoped it was a joke. 

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something but an alarm went off in the building at caused her to cover her ears. Peter did the same and Tony checked his watch, a hologram coming up. 

“There’s an attack near here. Iron Man level attack. Sorry to cut this short but I have to go.” Mr. Stark said and he turned to leave the room. 

“Good luck!” Alyssa called. 

“But Mr. Stark!” Peter called, “What do you want me to do?” 

“Keep your cover!” Mr. Stark called and after that, he was gone. Peter seemed frustrated that he wasn’t included, and Alyssa noticed that beside her, was the kid’s backpack, which had to have his suit. 

Alyssa smiled and picked his bag up, throwing it over to Peter. 

“Staircase seven goes to floor 15, which has a fire escape window. The next building over you can swing off of.” 

Peter looked shocked, “How did you…?” 

“Mainly the web formula, but don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” 

“Thank you.” Peter said, before he seemed to remember the attack. “I have to go, but I owe you one!” 

Alyssa smiled as he grabbed his bag and ran out of the lab. She knew that Iron Man and Spider-Man would easily defeat the villain and save the day. She supposed that was payment enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Drop a comment if you enjoyed it!


End file.
